Autoethnography turns the researcher into the research instrument. Instead of studying others, the designer systematically documents and analyses their own lived experience of a product, service, or context. It is a discipline borrowed from social science that has found a natural home in design, particularly when the designer belongs to the same community they are designing for, or when access to participants is limited.
Autoethnography
Using your own experience as a research instrument
A
Designers Academy
7 January 2025 · 4 min read
ResearchMethods
In brief
Autoethnography is a research method where designers systematically document and analyze their own lived experience of a product, service, or context to gain broader user insights.
